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Jet Sent to Probe Florida Governor’s Plane

Thursday, May 15, 2003
(12:16 AM ET)
By Erik Schelzig
Associated Press Writer

MIAMI, Fla. -- AP
An F-16 fighter jet was sent to investigate a plane carrying Gov. Jeb Bush after it lost radio contact Wednesday on approach to Reagan National Airport in Washington.

It was unclear why the plane lost radio contact at 7:30 a.m., FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said. Once contact was re-established, controllers were able to ``authenticate that they were who they said they were,'' she said.

The plane, en route from Tallahassee, was allowed to land about an hour later, and Bush went on to conduct his planned business in Washington.

The fighter jet was sent from Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland because Bush's plane was approaching restricted airspace around the nation's capital.

``But we realized very quickly there was no threat to the capital, we never did an intercept, and we brought our fighter home,'' said Canadian Army Maj. Douglas Martin, a spokesman for the North American Aerospace Defense Command.

Bush's spokeswoman Alia Faraj termed the situation ``pretty routine ... but it took a little time to get through it.''

A plane carrying the governor was struck by lightning in February, punching a hole in one of the its wings. The aircraft landed safely in Orlando.
(Source: Netscape Network News)
2003 © The Associated Press.

Dan